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Monday, November 14, 2011

REVIEW: The Hunter by Theresa Meyers

I had high hopes for The Hunter, and I am delighted to say it did not disappoint. It was a fun ride, from start to finish, with an awesomely eclectic mix of old west action, steampunk adventure, and paranormal romance. It's a high-concept story that could have fallen apart in so many places, and which could easily have crossed the line from inspired to ridiculous, but which deftly holds it all together.

When we first meet Colt Jackson, he's largely innocent of his family's calling and, as a result, about to get his head handed to him by demon horseman. In essence, he provides the reader with an accessible window into the story, giving us an excuse to learn about the mythology (both Hunter and Darkin). Fast forward a decade, and it's now Colt who so religiously pursues the family calling, putting himself at odds with his brothers, the law, and every supernatural specimen to cross his path. Although a little dour and single-minded, Colt is also the very epitome of an old west action hero, and definitely worth following along with.

In pursuit of a legendary Book that he believes will help to seal away the Darkin forever more, he crosses paths with the sexy, succulent, sensual, Lilly . . . the succubus who answers his summoning. As is so often the case with me, I identified most strongly with Lilly and, through her, really found my way into the story. I loved her multiple layers of identity, her conflicting passions, and her dubious loyalties. She's a woman beholden to both demon and mortal, destined to betray one (or both) when the time comes. With that in mind, she's also a woman of awkward inhibitions, one who teases and toys with her captor/rescuer in the naughtiest manner (as a succubus should), but who also flirts with him in the sweetest ways (as a young woman should).

What follows is an exciting romp, full of enough twists and turns to keep the story exciting. Colt and Lilly are great leads (who make a great couple) who could easily carry a novel, but they're smartly assisted by some fantastic secondary characters, who keep things fresh and interesting. Steampunk mad-scientist Marley is definitely one, fallen angel/vampire/demon-lord Rathe is another.

With this being the first part of a trilogy, we don't get a tidy tying up of all the loose ends, but it's definitely a story that works very well as a self-contained volume. There's a little bit here for everyone, but the various genres all mesh together wonderfully - there's never any sense of things being forced or arbitrarily dropped into the narrative, just to satisfy the conventions of one genre or another. Definitely a fun read, and one that has me excited for The Slayer (April 2012) and The Chosen (Dec 2012).